The Curiosity Cruiser is back with Afterschool Programming! 

Month: March 2022

The Curiosity Cruiser is back with Afterschool Programming! 

Posted on by Katie LaBeth

Spring break may be over, but that does not mean the fun is done. The Curiosity Cruiser has exciting news. For the remainder of the Spring Semester the Cruiser is working with local community centers to offer afterschool STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) and Literacy based programs! 

Here is a sneak peak of what you can expect. 

Snap Circuits!

What are these? They are kits that introduce children to the concepts of electrical circuits. Students will learn how to make all sorts of distinct functions, such as alarms, lights, and fans, with these easy snap into place pieces.  

Robots!

We have lots of different robots such as: Ozobots, which are small orb shaped robots that follow commands you make on paper, and Lego WeDo that uses Legos and an iPad to function! 

Comic Creation! 

Calling all Dogman Fans, learn the foundation behind what it takes to make a comic book, a comic book! 

D-I-Y Flipbooks

 What story will your flipbook tell us? Is it going to be an adventure, a romance, or even just a stick man dancing? Learn how art has a big role in literacy.  

Here is a list of our locations. 

March 21, 2022 – May 20, 2022: 

Mondays: Afterschool Programing

East Harris County Activity Center 
7340 Spencer Hwy, Pasadena, TX 77505  
4:00pm – 5:30pm 

Tuesdays: Morning Bilingual Story Time and Pop-up Library 

Spring Branch Family Development Center 
8575 Pitner Rd, Houston, TX 77080  
11:00am – 1:30pm 
*Story Time Begin at 11am* 

Wednesdays: Afterschool Programming 

Finnigan Park Community Center  
4900 Providence St, Houston, TX 77020  
4:30pm – 5:30pm  

Lincoln Community Center  
979 Grenshaw St, Houston, TX 77088  
4:30pm – 5:30pm 

Thursdays: Afterschool Programming 

Riley Chambers Community Center  
808 1/2 Magnolia Ave, Crosby, TX 77532  
4:00pm – 5:30pm 

JD Walker Community Center  
7613 Wade Road Baytown, TX 77521  
4:30pm – 5:30pm 

*Cruiser stops are weather permitting. The cruiser also follows the same holiday schedule as other library branches. Please check our social media each day for any notice of cancellation. * 

Contact your community center for more information on how to enroll. I did mention it was all FREE, right? Each participant will also pick out a book at the end of the program. What could be better?! 

We hope to see you there! 

Check out http://www.hcpl.net/blog for more Harris County Public Library related blogs!

 For more cruiser information you can visit:

https://www.hcpl.net/about/community/curiosity-cruiser

Social Media:

Facebook: @CuriosityCruiser

Instagram: @curiositycruiser

Twitter: @CuriosityCruis1

Who are the Curiosity Cruiser Superheroes?

Posted on by Katie LaBeth

Well that would be Owlbotron and Northtale! The Super hero duo whose mission is to spread the power of reading and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) to kids all over the county.

Well let me tell you their origin story. You see I’m good friends with them, so I have the inside scoop.

To learn who Owlbotron is, we must first meet Oliver Owens. Oliver, who went by Ollie, was your average middle school student. He struggled with his math and science classes and faced bullying from some of the kids in his school. Even though he is an owl, he didn’t know how to fly, and longed to join other birds in the skies. He was a sweet kid with many hobbies, such as art and writing, but this wasn’t enough for poor Ollie.

One day, while in the school Library, Ms. Mapp the Librarian, guided Ollie towards a very specific book. Inside this book was a wonderful secret. It was the key to Ollie becoming an epic superhero! After reading the book, Ollie became Owlbotron the Super Owl. He gained the ability to fly and help light the way for other children.

So, who is Northtale?

First let me ask, are you curious how Ms. Mapp knew that Ollie needed that book? Was it just her Librarian senses tingling, or could it be something more? Ms. Mapp is just your standard school librarian, helping spread the joy or reading and assisting in research projects, right?

Well, what if I were to tell you another secret? Ms. Mapp is Northtale! Totally didn’t see that coming, did you? Oh, you did? Huh, well then maybe you have super powers yourself!

To be honest, we don’t know how Ms. Mapp became Northtale. Maybe she has always been, maybe she earned the power through a book like Owlbotron, all we know is that she is a Super Fox! She has the power of navigation and the knowledge to build awesome gadgets. She’s really good at problem solving and loves to help children on their adventures.  

Together this duo strives to help inspire the wonderful children of Harris county through the use of literacy and STEM.

Always remember:

You can change the world.

For more back story fun, check out this video on Owlbotron’s origin story!

Check out http://www.hcpl.net/blog for more Harris County Public Library related blogs!

 For more cruiser information you can visit:

https://www.hcpl.net/about/community/curiosity-cruiser

Social Media:

Facebook: @CuriosityCruiser

Instagram: @curiositycruiser

Twitter: @CuriosityCruis1

Navigation

Curiosity Cruiser is a state-of-the-art mobile library that provides Houston children with access to books and exciting educational programs that integrate reading with science, math, technology, writing, and the arts.

Harris County Public Library
713-274-6669
CuriosityCruiser@HCPL.net
HCPL.Net

The Harris County Public Library system provides a broad range of traditional and online library services through 26 branch libraries in Harris County, Texas.